The second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head.
On this day, after half a month of recuperation, Huangfu Jintao led his men to bid farewell. Before leaving, he did not forget to give Fan Zehao a deep look, saying, "Good boy, we'll meet again!"
Fan Zehao shook his head, "Let's not meet again. It'll save me some more hemostatic medicine. Why bother!"
His words amused Huangfu Jintao. If he hadn't been harmed by spies, he wouldn't have had to flee into the mountains in such a sorry state. If he hadn't gone into the mountains, he probably wouldn't have met such an interesting person.
After the group left, Xiao Ce left him a thousand taels of silver notes. "Brother, this is from the master. You keep it. Hmm... think about my suggestion again. If you've made up your mind, tell Dr. Qi, and I'll come to pick you up!"
Fan Zehao accepted the silver notes, as he felt it was for food and accommodation. He immediately refused the offer to leave with him and seek wealth.
"Thank you for your kindness, brother, but I won't go. I just want to be with my wife and live a simple life. If you're done with your business, you can come back and see your little brother."
His words were few but clear.
Seeing this, Xiao Ce patted his shoulder heavily and turned to leave. The group soon departed the village.
The small mountain village returned to its usual tranquility.
Time flew by, and it was already May. The business of Liangpi began again, and preparations for the ice business were underway. The Fan brothers were now very busy.
Wang Zhaodi's pregnancy was a joyous occasion, and the whole family was happy. They hadn't been happy for more than a few days when rumors began to spread in the town, discussing the war ahead.
For this reason, Murong Sheng specifically kept Fan Zehao, who was delivering goods, behind.
In the study, he took out a piece of paper with the seal of the Ministry of War in the capital. "This is a conscription notice issued by the Ministry of War to various prefectures. It will be distributed to every county and town within ten to half a month. Every household must send one able-bodied man. You need to be prepared!"
Fan Zehao silently finished reading the notice and tucked it into his embrace, then asked, "Brother Sheng, is the war at the border not going well?"
Murong Sheng was not very clear about the situation at the front lines. He sighed, "I only heard that spies appeared in the military camp and stole the defense map of the border, which caught us off guard. We suffered heavy losses. It is said that we have already retreated several dozen miles."
The defense map was stolen, which was simply unbelievable!
Fan Zehao returned home with a heavy heart and told his wife about the matter that evening.
The sudden news stunned her. After a long while, she reacted. "Protecting the country is everyone's duty. I have only one request: come back alive."
Even if he were crippled or paralyzed, as long as he was still alive and could be with her, that would be enough.
"I will!" Fan Zehao promised.
They embraced and couldn't sleep. For countless nights, Fan Zehao had watched her fall asleep. But today, it was the other way around. Looking at the sleeping man, Zhao Jiaqi felt a pang in her heart.
Because her mother had remarried, their family was considered part of Fan Guangping's family.
One able-bodied man had to be sent from their combined family, which meant either Fan Guangping or Fan Zehao would go.
With the two families gathered, Wang Zhaodi felt even more uneasy. Zhang Cuihua and Fan He were also in a dilemma, as they loved both their sons equally.
Neither of the elders could decide who should go.
In the end, Zhao Jiaqi came up with an idea: "Let's draw lots. Whoever draws it goes!"
It was a fair choice, and no one objected. The result of the drawing was that Fan Guangping would go. This made Wang Zhaodi unable to hold back her tears.
After preparing for so long, the result was that he didn't have to go. He was both happy and worried that he wouldn't have to leave his wife.
The notice had not yet been issued, so they did not dare to spread the word, but quietly prepared supplies for the front lines at home. Hemostatic medicine, sleeve arrows for self-defense. Fan Zehao trained his brother every day. In ten days or half a month, he could learn a trick or two for self-preservation, but learning to kill enemies would be pure luck.
In mid-May, the notice was issued to all the towns, five or six days earlier than they had expected.
The villagers' hearts sank as if the sky had fallen. Every household was filled with worry.
The town lost its usual lively atmosphere and was now as silent as a locust swarm passing through.
The town mayor took the letter from the courier. It clearly stated that the authorities had specifically requested Fan Zehao of Nanling Village!
"This... isn't this a mistake? Wasn't it said that whoever was willing to go could go? Why him specifically?"
Coincidentally, he actually knew this person.
He was the adopted son of Steward Wang and the sworn brother of the owner of Tianxiang Tower. Why was he being called up for conscription?
The courier didn't care about these things. With a grim face, he said, "This is a letter from the military barracks. You must prepare him. Someone will come to pick him up at that time!"
With that cryptic remark, the courier rode off to his next destination.
Helpless, the town mayor had to relay the message to Murong Sheng, and then to Wang Lifeng. He had no recourse, as he could not afford to offend either of these two influential figures in the town.
When they heard the news, the Fan family's courtyard became lively.
There was both joy and sorrow.
Murong Sheng said, "You go with peace of mind. We will take good care of sister-in-law here."
"Be more watchful on the battlefield. Fight if you can win, run if you can't. It's not shameful. Your life is important."
Wang Lifeng agreed with what his son-in-law said. Such things as righteousness and protecting the country were not as important as a life.
He was a selfish person and could not reach the level of sacrificing his life to save others. If it were about donating money to protect the country, he would be the first to contribute without hesitation.
Fan Zehao was very grateful to these people and bowed deeply. "I entrust my family to your care. If I return alive, I will surely thank you all in person!"
"You must come back alive. Then we'll drink and eat meat together!" Xie Kun disliked this feeling of parting from life and death and tried to use more cheerful words to talk.
At this time.
Fan Zhang learned that Fan Zehao was going and began to hatch another scheme.
He knew that the village chief had a good relationship with Fan Zehao's family, so he didn't go to the village chief but directly to the town, using his connections to find the town mayor.
Sun Qirong scratched his ear, unsure if he had misheard. He asked, "Say that again, who?"
Fan Zhang obsequiously repeated, "My grandson Fan Zehao and I have some misunderstandings. Since he's leaving, I was thinking of adding his family back to the genealogy. That way, his mother and wife at home can be cared for by us with proper justification!"
Sun Qirong said faintly, "Oh!"
His expression showed neither happiness nor displeasure, making it impossible for Fan Zhang to discern his thoughts.
"Then, what was the misunderstanding that caused him to be expelled from the clan? I believe the misunderstanding must have been significant, otherwise, why would such a decision be made?"